– Surveys show the need for more flexible working for mums and dads As more and more women are staying in the workplace after having children – and often full time – parents are demanding greater flexibility, but dads are still being held back by old-fashioned policies and fears that their employer will react negatively to requests to work flexibly, according to two new Workingmums.co.uk surveys....

New research published today identifies that it is essential for employers to improve support for working fathers in order to achieve equality for working mothers. Organisations need to go further than setting policy to achieve this – they need working practices that make it easier for employees to share parental responsibilities between mum and dad. It is a key conclusion from research commissioned by Talking Talent, a global...

Guest Blog by Andrew Weir, Employer Services Manager at Moorepay Despite being launched more than two years ago Shared Parental Leave (SPL) has not been as popular as expected. In this article we look at what SPL offers, why uptake has been far below expected levels, and the proposed changes due to come into force in 2018. What is Shared Parental Leave? SPL was first introduced in April 2015 and provides eligible parents with...

Guest Blog by Lorna Davidson. The evolution of the recruitment industry is offering hope to stay-at-home parents who want to dip their toes back into the world of work. For a parent, nothing beats the experience of being there for that first smile, and those very first words and steps. But being a stay-at-home mum or dad also comes with plenty of challenges, including seemingly endless nappy changes and feeds. Plus, there’s the...

It’s Men’s Health Week from 11-17 June, an annual event that seeks to raise awareness about health issues affecting men. This year the focus is on diabetes, but previous years have looked at waistlines, stress and work and health issues. Talking Talent, a coaching consultancy leading the gender diversity agenda is marking this week by highlighting the challenges and pressures facing new Dads at work and calling on employers to...

Fenella Grey, Managing Director Porter Novelli London and Omniwomen Committee Member, explains why she truly believes parenting skills translate brilliantly into leadership skills in the workplace. ‘Parenting’ and ‘career’ are two terms often placed in opposition. How can you excel at one without underperforming at another? How can you successfully lead both at work and at home? Is it even possible to achieve that coveted state of...

Women’s maternity rights often dominate the news – but even in a supportive company, where rights are respected, returning to work is not always easy, especially in the male dominated world of surveying. Marion Ellis BSc (Hons) MRICS shares how her experience has led her to champion support for other women in the industry. It took my very own mini Arianna Huffington moment after returning to work from maternity leave to...

Despite the Government announcing a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to maternity discrimination back in February, newly released research has found that it is still a massive problem for UK parents and parents-to-be. The problem is contributing to women feeling unable to take their full maternity leave, with researchers finding: Only 12% of working mothers take a full year’s maternity leave and almost one in five (18%) take...

As many UK families will be enjoying Father’s Day today, some sobering analysis published today by the TUC found that one in four men who became fathers in 2016 didn’t qualify for paternity leave or pay. In 2016 there were around 625,000 working dads around the UK with a child under one. However, a quarter of them (25%) – more than 157,000 new fathers – did not qualify for the up to two weeks’ statutory paternity leave and...

Ahead of Father’s Day, here’s a few facts about parental leave for British Dads: Just 1% of dads in the UK take advantage of shared parental leave “Two weeks is not enough time off for new fathers in Britain and paid leave for dads specifically should be increased!” A total of 28 countries have better paternity leave and pay schemes than the UK Swedish fathers get a huge 80 additional days with their new-born compared to...

Whilst there is often much discussion about maternity and paternity rights at work, in contrast, pregnancies not going to plan is almost a ‘taboo’ subject – but very much worth discussing. Christine Husbands, managing director, RedArc Nurses, discusses how employers can best support employees through this traumatic and difficult situation. The news that a new baby is expected can be one of the most joyful things in...

Annelise Tracy Phillips, a senior associate in the Employment Law team at Burges Salmon LLP discusses why British Fathers are not taking up shared parental leave and why increasing paid paternity leave is likely to have more uptake. In their Election 2017 manifesto the Liberal Democrats have promised to double paid paternity leave entitlements for working fathers. Labour promises a similar increase in the length of paid paternity...

Guest blog by Sara Allen, senior strategist and job share expert for Further & More. The parent penalty is a curious feature of modern work – talented, highly experienced senior staff in whom employers have invested time and training walk away from well-paid, senior roles once they have kids. It’s equally frustrating for parents, and employers, alike. Replacing staff is expensive, costing around 75% of a year’s salary; and...

Including men in the debate around gender equality and embedding flexible working from recruitment onwards are key trends in best practice, according to the Workingmums.co.uk’s Best Practice Report 2017 (available to download from the website). The Report is an in-depth look at what the most progressive companies are doing with regard to gender diversity and flexible working. It includes detailed interviews with the winners of the...

Getting to grips with the new kid on the block The launch of the Government’s new tax-free childcare scheme means workers now have more ways to pay for childcare. In order to help employers and their staff assess who’s likely to benefit from the scheme and who’s better off staying put with existing options, such as childcare vouchers, employee benefits firm, Lemonade Reward has looked at the stats. Basic rate taxpayer couple Working...